It's All Online–Saturday, January 20, 2018

The January PCGS meeting is all about social media and using the PCGS website.

Sherri Hessick will Explore the PCGS Website, giving us tips on managing the Members Only section and purchasing workshops and seminars.

Sherri was the eighth person to join PCGS. She has served on the Steering Committee since its inception, was a guest blogger on the PCGS blog in 2013-2014 and became the main blogger in 2015. She accepted the Web Manager position in October 2017 and the 2nd Vice President role in January 2018. She is a member of the Tucson chapter of the DAR, a certificate holder from Boston University's Genealogical Research Program, and a graduate of the inaugural Research Like a Pro Study Group.

Nicole Dyer will follow the class with our featured program How Can I Use Twitter and Other Social Media in My Genealogy Research? Collaborating with a community of like-minded genealogists can aid your research in a number of ways. Nicole will discuss monthly genealogy chats on Twitter, the hundreds of genealogy Facebook groups, and how to share a #GenealogyPhotoADay on Instagram.

Nicole has been researching her ancestors and delighting in their stories for over fifteen years. She and her mother regularly write on their Family Locket Blog where they share tips and ideas on how to get children interested in their family history, share research tips, talk about family reunions, crafts, FamilySearch, and much, much more. Nicole spoke at RootsTech 2017 on Kid Genealogists - Inspiring the Next Generation and is speaking at RootsTech 2018. She is also the developer of the Preschool Family History Storytime and the Family History Craft Day at the Tucson Family History Center (visit the Tucson Family History Center Facebook group at for details). Nicole is a PCGS member, serves on the Steering Committee and the Social Media Committee as our Tweeter.

Non-members are welcome to attend up to two meetings as our guest. All attendees are eligible for the door prizes. Handouts are available to PCGS members under Secure Download in the Members Only section of our website: https://azpimagensoc.org.

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN LOCATION

DATE:	Saturday, January 20, 2018
TIME:	1:00pm – 3:00pm
PLACE:	Operations Division Midtown Hardesty Multi-Service Center 1100 S. Alvernon Tucson, AZ
	Parking is free

Happy New Year! What's Happening this Winter 2018?

Happy New Year! 2018 promises to be an exciting year for genealogists. Here is a preview of what is happening in and around Tucson this winter.

Visit our website at https://azpimagensoc.org for details of these and other events.

JANUARY
Pima County Genealogy Society Special Interest Groups are all meeting in January: RootsMagic on January 6, DNA Group on January 13, and Family Tree Maker on January 20. SIGs are a benefit of PCGS membership and are open to members only. Visit our website for meeting location and times.

Top: Sherri Hessick
Bottom: Nicole Dyer

Our first meeting of the year featuring Sherri Hessick and Nicole Dyer will be on January 20 from 1 to 3 p.m. Sherri will Explore the PCGS Website, giving us tips on managing the Members only section and purchasing workshops and seminars. Nicole will answer the question How Can I Use Twitter and Other Social Media in My Genealogy Research? Non-members are welcome to attend up to two of our meetings as a guest. All attendees are eligible for the door prize.

Note Location Change for This Month’s Meeting
DATE:	Saturday, January 20, 2018
TIME:	1:00pm – 3:00pm
PLACE:	Operations Division Midtown Hardesty Multi-Service Center 1100 S. Alvernon Tucson, AZ
	Parking is free

The Pinal County Genealogists will host their 15th annual genealogy workshop in Casa Grande. All workshop information, registration forms, and lecture descriptions are at http://www.pinalctyazgen.com/workshop2018.htm.

FEBRUARY

February starts out with the annual Tucson Family History Fair on February 3 at the LDS East Stake Center, 6901 E. Kenyon Dr. The Fair opens at 8:30 a.m. with Bob Ives, Executive Director of The Family History Guide, presenting A Digital Revolution in Family History. The Fair is offering a choice between seven different classes during each of the five hour-long class sessions. The class descriptions, schedule, and handouts are on the Tucson Family History Center wiki page. 

NOTE: Handouts will not be available at the Fair. Attendees must print them in advance from the wiki page.

PCGS is back at the Banner-University Medical Center on February 17 when we will be talking about researching our German ancestors.  The Family Tree Maker members-only SIG meets from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the same day.

The Green Valley Genealogical Society annual seminar featuring Gena Philibert-Ortega is also on February 17. Registration and details are on the GVGS website.

West Valley Genealogical Society is also hosting a seminar on February 17 with Cyndi Ingle in Sun City. Visit their website at http://azwvgs.org/seminar.asp for details and registration.



MARCH

CeCe Moore

The Pima County Genealogy Society is hosting a workshop and seminar featuring CeCe Moore, Genetic Genealogist on March 9 and 10. The March 9 workshop, I Have My Results, Now What??, is sold out. However, there are still seats available for the March 10 seminar. Seminar topics include:

• The Power of DNA
• Autosomal DNA: Discovering Your Ancestors In You
• Using Mitochondrial DNA and X-DNA for Genealogy Research
• Jefferson-Hemmings: Revealing the Truth Through DNA

CeCe Moore has never spoken outside California before. Don't miss this once in a lifetime event. Visit the PCGS seminar webpage for details and registration.

Our March 17 general meeting will feature Howard Mathieson of Winnepeg, Canada and a member of the Guild of One Name Studies, speaking on Surnames and One-Name Studies-the Origin of British Surnames.

The Family History Society of AZ is hosting their annual seminar with Thomas W. Jones on March 23 and 24 in Mesa. Details and registration are on the FHSA website. 

A Genealogy Odyssey–November 18, 2017

Come join us for our final meeting of the year where Paul Duffey will give his final presentation: Paul to Charlemagne: My Genealogy Odyssey. We will follow Paul's lineage through King Edward III, William the Conqueror & Charlemagne.

Paul Duffey in front of Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Alaska

Paul Duffey has been doing genealogy research off and on for the past 21 years. He has found numerous living relatives and received helpful family information from them. He and his wife and granddaughters have visited relatives in Germany, and Paul & Mary Lou visited relatives in Ireland. Within the limitations of currently available documentation, he has traced his ancestors back to Adam & Eve.

Paul has done his DNA but found no close relatives. He taught our DNA SIG for about 5 years, and the Saturday Help session for about 4 years. He has self-published 3 books of family history. He is currently working on organizing his genealogy information to record on DVDs for his children and grandchildren. He retired last year after 14 years as Arizona State Society Genealogist for Sons of the American Revolution. He has given genealogy talks in Tucson, Green Valley, Saddlebrook, Rancho Vistoso, Casa Grande, Yuma, Colorado Springs, Gilbert, Peoria, and Mesa.

The handouts for this presentation are available to PCGS members only on our website in the Secure Download area. Remember to select Members Login to login, then navigate to Secure Download in the left navigation panel. There are two files, so be sure to print both of them to bring to the meeting.

Non-members are welcome to attend up to two of our meetings as a guest. All attendees are eligible for the door prize.

DATE:	Saturday, November 18, 2017
TIME:	1:00pm – 3:00pm
PLACE:	Banner-University Medical Center Duval Auditorium (Room 2600) 1501 N. Campbell Rd. Tucson, AZ
	Parking is free

Happy Birthday To Us!

© Aalok Thakur, Wikimedia Commons,
CC BY-SA 3.0 

We are 5 years old! Come to our birthday party on Saturday, October 21, 2017, to help us blow out the candles. Cupcakes and refreshments will be served.

Our featured speaker's topic is NARA in a Day. PCGS member Laurie Desmarias has more than 20 years of genealogical research experience. She is a regular conference attendee, volunteer, blogger, and participant in many Facebook user groups. She is a life member of the American-French Genealogical Society and is the Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board membership officer. In addition to being a member of the Pima County Genealogy Society, she is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the New England Historical and Genealogical Society, and the Southern California Genealogical Society. Laurie specializes in New England research. Her blog is confusethedead.com.


Come celebrate with us on our special day. You do not have to be a PCGS member to attend.

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN LOCATION

DATE:	Saturday, October 21, 2017
TIME:	1:00pm – 3:00pm
PLACE:	Donna R. Liggins Center 2160 N. 6th Ave. Tucson, AZ

Update 10/20/17: Changed speaker's topic.

Clooz and Findmypast–September 16, 2017

The September PCGS meeting promises to be entertaining and educational, as usual.

First up will be Jodi Lynn Strait presenting Do You Have Any Clooz? Clooz is a software program that helps you manage and organize your source documents and provides unique analysis tools. The program works with any filing system. Jodi will show us how she uses it with her research.

Jodi has been doing genealogical research for over 20 years. She has been a PCGS member since it was founded in 2012 and currently serves as our 2nd Vice President, editor of the PCGS Researcher, and sits on the program and social media committees. She is also a member of the National Genealogy Society (NGS), the Chinkchewunska (NJ) chapter of the D.A.R., is a certificate holder of the Boston University Genealogical Research Program, and has completed the NGS home study course.

Ken Castle will follow the class with his presentation: Findmypast Website. In addition to having the largest collection of Irish records anywhere online, Findmypast has exclusive records including British newspaper archives, passenger lists of ships leaving the UK, British army records, workhouse registers, and Irish court records. Ken will give us tips on how to maximize the resources found on Findmypast in your research.

Ken is an optical engineer, and president and co-owner of an optics company called Ruda-Cardinal, Inc. He has been in this line of work for 32 years, and has found it to be an enjoyable profession, with the opportunity to work on many varied projects. his interest in genealogy began around 1999, when his father passed away. Records his mother had created (she had passed in 1989), were passed to him, and he became intrigued because there were some names on the pedigree chart that he had no knowledge of, and wondered who these people were. So, for the last 17 years, he has been checking her accuracy (it was very good!), and then as the "bug" had bit, extending the family tree even further. He has identified two English lines (CASTLE and RODEN) who came separately to this country in the mid-1800s, but later found each other in 1889 in New Jersey. He has identified all 16 of his 3 x great-grandparents, and 80% of his 4 x great-grandparents. He serves on the PCGS Steering Committee and is responsible for setting up library presenters for October Family History Month.

Non-members are welcome to attend up to two of our meetings as a guest.

Handouts will be available to PCGS members under Secure Download in the Members Only section of our website : https://azpimagensoc.org/.

DATE:	Saturday, September 16, 2017
TIME:	1:00pm – 3:00pm
PLACE:	Banner-University Medical Center Duval Auditorium (Room 2600) 1501 N. Campbell Rd. Tucson, AZ
	Parking is free

Italian Mobsters and International Research–Saturday, August 19, 2017

Cool down from the August heat by coming to the air-conditioned auditorium where PCGS will resume our monthly meetings after our short break in July.

Our featured speaker, Joey Caccarozzo, will take us along on her journey to reveal the truth behind the Caccarozzo surname.  Is Caccarozzo her family's original surname or did her great-grandfather create that name before immigrating to the U.S.? Did her great-grandfather's emigration story involve criminals and mobsters?

The meeting will open with Joey giving us the Do's and Don'ts of a Successful International Research Trip based on her own experiences during her very successful research trip to Italy where she discovered the truth behind her surname and traced her paternal line back several more generations. Following a short break and award of door-prizes, she will present what she learned in the Case Study: Criminals, Mobsters and the Truth Behind My Name.

Joey Caccarozzo is a relative newcomer to genealogy. She began researching her family tree only seven years ago, when she was pregnant with her second child. She has three – ages 10, 5, and 4 years, and they keep her very busy.  Although she is new to genealogy, she is very experienced at complex international research, thanks in part to her career.

Joey has been a prosecutor for the Department of Homeland Security for over thirteen years. She has prosecuted removal cases involving national security, human rights violators, and individuals who have provided material support to terrorists. Her specialty is Eastern European asylum fraud, but she has also aided in the prosecution of large scale fraud involving Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, and Eritrean nationals. Her employment background has assisted her in pursuing her family's history; likewise, pursuing her family's history has helped her become a better researcher in her career.

Joey is a PCGS member and serves on the PCGS Steering Committee. In her spare time, she teaches classes on DNA at the annual Tucson Family History Fair, at local Family History Centers, and at genealogy clubs.

Our general meetings are free and open to members and non-members alike. Members will have access to the handouts via the Members Only section of our website (https://azpimagensoc.org/), one of the many perks of becoming a member.

DATE:	Saturday, August 19, 2017
TIME:	1:00pm – 3:00pm
PLACE:	Banner-University Medical Center Duval Auditorium (Room 2600) 1501 N. Campbell Rd. Tucson, AZ
	Parking is free

Genealogy Apps and Family History Blogs—Saturday, June 17, 2017

Come join us this Saturday, June 17, for two fascinating topics.

Our meeting starts with a class on Using Genealogy Apps on Your Tablet by Kathi Gardner. Following the class, Nicole Dyer will present a program on Tips on Sharing Family History with a Blog.

Nicole has been researching her ancestors and delighting in their stories fro over fifteen years. She and her mother regularly write on their "Family Locket Blog."  They share tips and ideas on how to get children interested in their family history, share research tips, and talk about family reunions, crafts, FamilySearch, and much, much more. Nicole spoke at RootsTech 2017 on Kid Genealogists - Inspiring the Next Generation. She is also the developer of the Preschool Family History Storytime held in April and May and the June Family History Craft Day at the Tucson Family History Center (visit the Tucson Family History Center Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1695205970728001/ for details).

Our general meetings are free and open to members and non-members alike. Hope to see you there!

DATE:	Saturday, June 17, 2017
TIME:	1:00pm - 3:00pm
PLACE:	Banner-University Medical Center Duval Auditorium (Room 2600) 1501 N. Campbell Rd. Tucson, AZ

Evidentia and The Family History Guide--Saturday, May 20, 2017

We have a special treat for you at this Saturday's general meeting.

We will start the meeting with Rondie Yancey presenting a class on Evidentia, a unique program that helps you to analyze your evidence, resolve conflicts, and confidently reach sound conclusions. The software follows the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) developed by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG).

Rondie Yancey was born and raised in the Northwest, but settled in Tucson in 1989, and considers Tucson the best place in the world to live. It was shortly after moving to Tucson that she became interested in genealogy, and began research on one family that she thought might take one or two years to complete….(short pause for laughter to subside). After all these years, she still thinks genealogy is the most fascinating of subjects, and likes to create small books about members of her ancestral line for the benefit of family members who don’t have time or inclination to do the research, but who do enjoy reading about their family history.


Following the class, Bob Black  will present a program on The Family History Guide. This free new website represents a best-in-class learning environment for family history. Its scope is broad, but its focus is narrow enough to help you achieve your goals, step by step. The Guide's mission is to "greatly increase the number of people actively involved in family history worldwide, and to make everyone's family history journey easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable."

Bob Black spent 20+ years working in healthcare human resources before retiring. In 2011, he began working at the eastside Tucson Family History Center along with his wife, June. He began serving as Director there in 2014. Bob's passion is helping people at the Center with their family history discovery journey.

Remember, if you are not a PCGS member yet, you may attend up to two meetings as a non-member at no charge.

Handouts will be available to PCGS members under Secure Download in the Members Only section of our website (https://azpimagensoc.org/).

DATE: Saturday, May 20, 2017
TIME: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
PLACE:  Banner-University Medical Center, Duval Auditorium (Room 2600), 1501 N. Campbell Rd., Tucson

A New Place, GenSmarts, and Jewish Genealogy this Saturday

Come join us for a special meeting this Saturday, April 15, 2017.

Amy Urman

The meeting will begin with a short presentation Amy Urman on When Your GenSmarts Are Working. Amy is a private investigator licensed in the state of Arizona. She has been a genealogical researcher for over 25 years and serves as President for Pima County Genealogy Society. Amy is always informative and entertaining, making her a favorite lecturer in the society.

Heb. Pub. Co., 1901 [Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons.

Following a break and door-prizes, Denni Ann Gershaw-Smith will present Adventures in Jewish Genealogy. Denni Ann has been vigorously researching her roots since 1981. The majority of her ancestors hail from Eastern Europe, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Belarus and Slovakia. In 2016, Denni Ann completed the Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate Program. In addition to having her own calligraphy business, she has been conducting genealogy research for clients since 1989. Her specialty is in Judaic genealogy. Denni Ann is also a PCGS member and serves on the Steering Committee.

Not only are we featuring two great speakers this Saturday, but we are meeting at a new location! We are returning to Banner-University Medical Center, 1501 N. Campbell Rd., Tucson. But we are meeting in a different room than before: Duval Auditorium, Room 2600. The Duval Auditorium is located at the first hallway to the right as you come into the main entrance of the hospital. Walk along the front windows to your right and look for the sign for Duval Auditorium on your left.

This change in venue allows us to renew our pre-meeting luncheon in the cafeteria. Most arrive between 11:30 and 12 noon. We sit together to eat our lunch and socialize. The menu at the cafeteria has something for everyone, but pizza seems to be a favorite with our group.

Remember, if you are not a PCGS member yet, you can attend up to two meetings as a non-member at no charge! And everyone is eligible to win the door-prizes.

Handouts are available to PCGS members under Secure Download in the Members Only section of our website (https://azpimagensoc.org/).

Special October General Meeting

Each October, PCGS hosts a special luncheon event for our general meeting and this year is no different.

On Saturday, October 15, we will have our annual luncheon at the Evergreen Cemetery (3015 N. Oracle Road, Tucson). There will be several speakers including Betty Cook and the Arizona Chapter Association for Gravestone Studies. Topics include the Greenwood Cemetery, Evergreen Cemetery, Symbolism and Grave rubbings.

The cost is $5 and may be paid through the PCGS Marketplace or by check or cash at the September meeting. This event is open to members and non-members for the same $5. Advanced registration and payment by October 8 is required. Walk-ins will not be accepted.

Evergreen Mortuary & Cemetery, 3015 N. Oracle Rd., Tucson

Special Presentation at the September PCGS Meeting

PCGS has a special treat planned for the September general meeting. First up will be Jodi Strait presenting a short class entitled His Bones Lie Bleaching. Following her presentation will be a live webinar from George G. Morgan: Bring 'em Back to Life: Developing an Ancestor Profile.

George G. Morgan is president of Aha! Seminars, Inc. and co-host of The Genealogy Guys Podcast, the longest running genealogy podcast on the internet. Following is his description of the webinar he Aha! Seminars website:
will be presenting to us from the

In the course of our genealogical research, we often become engrossed in the collection of information snippets, failing to put them into a logical perspective. We lose sight of the fact that the people we're tracing participated in the life of their historical times, led complex lives, and interacted with one another.
 

Organizing the information we collect into a biographical profile can help you begin to recognize character traits and decision patterns. And the profile also provides an invaluable, portable research tool that avoids your taking voluminous amounts of notes with you on research trips. 

This seminar presents a methodology and a structured model for taking the details you collect about your ancestor and creating a biographical profile. We will discuss:

• Establishing your ancestor's every location,
• Learning about other people in your ancestor's life,
• Studying local, state and national history to determine what events may have influenced or motivated your ancestor,
• Studying personal events that may have influenced or motivated your ancestor, and
• Effectively organizing materials into a profile that can be used for additional research and for writing.

 This approach will not only help you organize your research, it can become the basis for writing detailed biographical sketches or novels about the people whose lives you have been researching.

Our general meetings are free and open to members and non-members alike. Come join us on September 17 from 1-3 p.m. at our new meeting location in the Operations Division Midtown, Hardesty Multi-Service Center, 1100 S. Alvernon (located on the corner of 22nd and Alvernon, just beyond the Reid Park Golf Center).

Visit our website at http://azpimagensoc.org/ for more info. We can be reached via email at info@azpimagensoc.org, or phone at (520) 589-5803.